mgalerians

Hi everyone. I really hope I do get some help here since I have been calling around and no one could help me. (>.<)

So my parents are coming to visit me from Bangkok on January 20, 2010 after a year since we met. (Yay!!!) They have 10 years (multiple) US visa so that's not an issue.

My concern is that they are flying via Thai Airways, arriving at LAX at 7.20PM on Jan 20. And their next flight (not a connecting flight) is UA6470 from LAX to Salt Lake City and is departing at 8.53PM. So this means that if none of these flights are delayed, they will have roughly 1.5 hour to go through immigration, baggage claims (they will be using maximum benefit of baggage allowance that is 4 bags of 23kg./50lb. each), then customs and then wait for a bus to take them to another terminal, which I believe it's terminal 7 or 8?, check in their baggage again, go through TSA, and run to the gate..........all this in one and a half hour!!?!

Anyway, I thought this over and since the tickets are all paid for and confirmed, the best I could think of was to pay $126 more to United Airlines to upgrade their tickets with Premium Travel package, which claims to allow flyers to check in faster/go through TSA faster/boarding faster.

My question is
1. Will they most likely be making it....or not at all? Considering it's Wednesday after 7.30pm?
2. The UA tickets were booked through their own website not a third party, if they really missed the flight will they be put into the next day morning flight?
3. How does this premier line work? Where and how exactly do they do in order to try to make it? I kind of need a walk-through. I normally fly to/from SFO. And my parents came here like 10+ years ago.
4. How likely will this UA flight be delayed? For the first time I hope a flight to be delayed...lol

Thank you so much in advance! You are helping a grad student sleep better! It's already too exciting to meet beloved parents, I really don't need any more excitement (^.^)

Thanks again!
-May